Why are term-time holidays such a big deal?

parent and child leaving school by bikeriderlondon via Shutterstock

Image by bikeriderlondon via Shutterstock

There are a lot of problems in our schools. Oversubscribed classrooms. Failing schools. Teacher burnout. Crumbling facilities.

Yet the Department of Education insists on focusing its limited budget and energy fighting against parents who take their children out during term-time. It’s a wasteful, ridiculous distraction and wrongheaded in its conception. (Read about the recent court ruling and what it means for families.)

It was only a few years ago that requests to take children out during term-time was an issue decided between parents and their school heads. Parents could put forward their reasons for the request, heads could decide whether the request was reasonable and determine whether it would adversely impact the child’s education. Missing a few days in year 3 in favour of a once-in-a-lifetime family experience? Let me think….

So the people who best understood the individual circumstances were making the decision. Now it’s politicians and civil servants, who know nothing about what’s happening with these children and their families, laying down the law, acting as if one size fits all and every situation is the same.

Does the government not like “holidays”?

My sense is that the government is hung up on this idea of “holiday”. Mum and Dad are only looking for a cheap getaway during which they can sit on a beach while their kids play on iPads, the thinking goes. These negligent parents are prioritising saving money on a resort over their child’s education! Or as Toby Young characterizes it for The Daily Mail, how can teachers deliver a syllabus if children can drop in and drop out “whenever they like”?

But we all know that “holidays” include a whole host of motivations, factors and benefits: seeing family in other parts of the country or the world, rare opportunities for travel that won’t come up again, celebrations that need to take into account the schedules of extended family. And let’s not forget: not every parent can finagle time off during half term or end-of-term breaks due to their jobs or commitments.

Finally, when have become so suspicious of parents who feel they know what’s right for their own families, their own children?

What’s right for our family

We go every year to Texas to see extended family – including grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins – which requires coordinating lots of schedules if my kids are going to actually know that side of the family. Our other requested absences have included a few days to attend a grandparent’s retirement celebration that included my husband’s 5 siblings and their respective families, and a long weekend to take part in a gymnastics competition at Disneyland Paris.

What we should really be doing about truancy

If the DoE wants to really tackle truancy, it would do well to look more profound and problematic causes of it: chaotic family life, parents’ problems with substance abuse or mental illness, poverty and a lack of opportunity in general.

In the meantime, the DoE needs to give up on pursuing parents taking their children out for “holidays”. It needs to quit worrying about closing “loopholes” created by the latest court ruling backing one father’s right to remove his daughter for a family trip. Michael Gove made a mistake by putting this at the top of the list of priorities back in 2013. It’s time for the government to quietly admit it and go back to focusing on education issues that will make a real difference to a large number of students, instead of chasing phantom enemies who are simply making a choice that feels right for their families.

What’s your opinion? Are parents who take their children out for term-time holiday selfish, or is the DoE wrong-headed with unbending rules?

About Jennifer Howze

Jennifer Howze is the Creative Director and co-founder of BritMums. She blogs about family travel at Jenography.net, tweets at @JHowze and Instagrams at @JHowze. Previously, she wrote the Alpha Mummy blog at The Times and as a journalist has contributed to The Times, The Guardian, The Independent, The Wall Street Journal, Travel & Leisure, Budget Travel, CNN.com, Allure, SELF and Premiere, among others. She won The Maggie Award from the Planned Parenthood Federation of America for a health article in Seventeen magazine.

c laird

Tuesday 17th of May 2016

If schools could set their own holidays this could make things even worse for many families What about those who have children in different schools or the parents work in schools and their holidays are different to their children. What about families that like to visit or go on holiday with other family members trying to find a date they could all make would be even harder than it is now. There would end up being some weeks that nearly all schools would shut such as christmas and easter amd probably at least 3 in the summer and these weeks wpuld become even busier and more expensive simple case of supply and demand. Also there are exams, sats and bank hols that are fixed for everyone so schools have limited flexibility anyway

Jennifer Howze

C Laird, I just posted the same thing above in response to Mel. I had thought about one family with kids at different schools, but I can just imagine trying to coordinate with extended family, juggling half terms of cousins, nieces, nephews, etc.

That's why schools, heads and parents should have some flexiblity when it works for them and their circumstances. In some ways, there's no one-size-fits-all when it comes to education.

Maddie Sinclair

Monday 16th of May 2016

I wholeheartedly agree Jen. I wrote this a while back - I think it shows the total ludicrous nature of these rules : “Plane travel during term time sucks children's brains out”, warns ghost of Michael Gove - The Indeparent http://theindeparent.com/2016/03/22/plane-travel-term-time-sucks-childrens-brains-warns-ghost-michael-gove/

Ha ha. Maddie, nice piece. The description of the nativity play is spot-on

Mel

Why do we need 6 consecutive weeks in the summer, give each school the right to choose there own holidays for the school year meaning parents can be more flexible when booking holidays etc, this country is hot enough in August so couldn't warrant taking my child somewhere hotter meaning term time holidays for us

Mel, good suggestion, although I can just imagine the headache of all those schools trying to coordinate, especially for families whose children go to different schools.

Margaret Butler

Also if the school days in term time are so important to a child, why do teachers always have Teacher Training days at the beginning of term and not programmed into the last day of the holidays. Also, schools that hold polling stations also close for the day and finally what about striking teachers. Alright for the schools to take the decision to close when it suits them but not when the parents need the choice.

Emma

Agree! Polling day, inset days, that last week of term where everyone mucks about... Time off is fine if the govt decide to arrange it but "every day your child is away from school could damage their education" if parents are arranging it. Then there's the ill kids and those with other problems.

Claire Dickens

Hallelujah!!! Someone in the media finally giving a sensible, informed over view of the issue!! I totally agree with everything you have said, but sadly this government sees the family as the last great cash cow!

Hi Claire, thanks so much for the comment. I think perhaps the government has seen this as potential low-hanging fruit -- ding the families, fine them and score a quick win by being seen to improve things by tinkering around the edges. The whole thing feels misguided.

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